Daring Bakers - Croquembouche

This month's challenge was presented by Cat from Little Miss Cupcake. What a perfect challenge. When I initially read what it was, I was stumped. This looked intimidating. This is a towering French wedding cake, and boy was it far from anything I have ever made!
This gorgeous piece of work, has been by far, my favorite baking challenges. I learnt a LOT! I loved everything about it, even it's name - Croquembouche - which means 'crunch in mouth'.
There are three components to this - the pate a choux, the crème patissiere, and the chocolate glaze used to mount it and decorate it. Traditionally in bakeries and for actual wedding cakes, the bakers used an aluminum cone which could aid in building height and structure. Since I didn't have any cones lying about, I just made a free hand, somewhat conical shape. Well instead of a mountain, just imagine it was a volcano whose top blew up :) Coming from the Northwestern United States, imagine it being Mount St. Helens instead of Mount Hood :)

The first component is also the basis for making eclairs and other French pastries. The pate a choux was quite easy to make and I'm certainly going to use this recipe again.

Pate a choux 

Ingredients

• ¾ cup (175 ml.) water
• 6 tbsp. (85 g.) unsalted butter
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 cup (125 g.) all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• For Egg Wash: 1 egg and pinch of salt

Choux batter

1. Pre-heat oven to 425◦F/220◦C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. 
3. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.
4. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
5. Transfer to a bowl and stir with a spoon 1 minute to cool slightly.
6. Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny. 
7. As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking. Add the next egg. Repeat till you finish all four eggs.
8. Transfer batter to a pastry bag or a ziploc (cut off slightly large tip).
9. Pipe choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets. (I would suggest making some large ones and some small ones. The large ones are nice to use as the base of the structure).
10. Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.
11. Egg wash (1 whole egg with a pinch of salt) the entire batch. 
12. Bake at 425F for 10 minutes till it gets slightly golden on top and become puffy. 
13. Reduce to 350F and continue baking for another 20 minutes. It should get some darker color. 
14. Store in an airtight container overnight in the fridge and use when ready.

For the Vanilla Crème Patissiere (Half Batch)

• 1 cup (225 ml.) whole milk
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 6 Tbsp. (100 g.) sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp. (30 g.) unsalted butter
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla

1. Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Beat into the mixture, the whole egg and egg yolks. Using a silicone egg beater really makes this easier. Please check here to see a daily special at Foodbuzz
2. At medium heat, pour the remaining 3/4 cup of milk in a saucepan along with the sugar and bring to boil.
3. Remove from heat and pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.
4. Continue boiling the rest of the milk. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.
5. Continue whisking constantly until the cream thickens. During this point, add the butter and vanilla.
6. After it thickens and starts boiling, remove from heat and its done!

I made another half batch of coffee flavored pastry creme. To make this add
2 tsps of instant espresso
1 1/2 tsps of boiling water.
Mix it up and add at step 6, along with the vanilla and butter.

Chocolate Glaze

1. Melt about 8 oz to 12 oz of the finest chocolate. Melt to a slightly thick consistency (a bit thicker than the pastry creme). This will help in building the bases and mounting each choux to the bottom ones.
2. After the mounting and layering. Melt the chocolate a little more till you are able to take a fork and drip in a thick stream. Use this to further glaze the tower.

Assembly

1. Take a plain/star tip and fill a pastry bag with the vanilla or coffee creme. 
2. Using the tip, poke a hole in the side or bottom of each choux and fill with the creme. You will feel the choux becoming a bit heavier.
   To assemble the croquembouche, take a clean presentation plate. Place the big choux pieces in the bottom for starters and decide what diameter you would like to choose. Accordingly take duct tape/clear tape and cover the rest of the plate (beyond the choux circle). This helps in clean up when you start dripping the chocolate all over the tower.
3. After the tape is in place. Dip the full choux pieces in melted chocolate and place each one on the plate forming the same circle. Start placing each one slowly and cover the sides and the bottoms relatively well. This will ensure that the choux pieces stick to the sides of each one, making it a stronger structure.
4. After you finish the tower. Glaze further with the chocolate (instructions above).

For storage, please store the completed croquembouche at room temp and use within two days. You can store the choux pieces themselves in the fridge for a week but the filled choux pieces must be used within 2 days.

 This tasted superb! I will certainly make this again.  Thank you for the challenge.

Yam Enchiladas with a mango-avocado salsa cruda and watermelon margaritas...

This month's daring kitchen challenge was presented by Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food to make Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas. I love Mexican food but dislike enchiladas. I find them way too cheesy. So this was a great opportunity for me to make enchiladas - my style! Now I really was not in the mood for chicken or any meat of sorts... wanted to have more veggies...then decided whats better than one of my favorite vegetables -- yams! They're used heavily in South-American cuisine, maybe not so much in Mexican food, but a great substitute nonetheless.
So my final menu was - Yam enchiladas (made with blue corn tortillas) with a mango and avocado salsa cruda served with ... wait for it... watermelon margaritas! If this doesn't cry out summer to you... I don't know what will :)

First and foremost; any good enchilada sauce will include roasting and two main ingredients - anaheim peppers and tomatillos. If you don't have access to anaheim peppers, substitute with poblano or jalapeno (remember that they have different heat levels). The taste will be slightly different. Using thai chillies or green bell peppers (capsicum) is not an option. If you don't have tomatillos, use green tomatoes and add tamarind sauce. I've not fried the tortillas or added much fat to the entire menu. This is a very healthy recipe, includes lots of vegetables AND fruits. Just because its healthy doesn't mean it has any diminished flavors.
The below recipe serves 3.
Total time taken -- depends on when you start the margarita rounds :)

Yam Filling

• 2 Yams medium
• 2 cups Vegetable stock
• 2 tsp oregano
• 3 dried poblano/ancho chile peppers
• Salt to taste

Chop the yam into about 1" pieces. I keep the skins, as this is where a lot of nutrients are. Boil this along with the vegetable stock, oregano, dried poblano peppers and a sprinkling of salt. Let it boil for about 30-35 minutes on medium heat. Extract the yams from the boiling stock and spices. Mash it and keep aside. Do not throw the stock at this point. You will reuse it for the sauce.

Enchilada Sauce
Roasting Vegetables

• 3 pods of garlic
• 1 medium red onion
• 2 -3 anaheim peppers
• 5-6 tomatillos

Other ingredients

• Yam Stock - 1 1/2 cups

First preheat your oven to 420, cut the vegetables in large chunks and keep ready. Roast the vegetables for 30-40 mins depending on your oven. Blend all the roasted vegetables. Add the blended puree to 1 1/2 cups of yam stock. Let it boil for about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt/spices. Boil for another 5 minutes. Its now ready!

Blue Corn Tortillas

• 1 cup blue cornmeal(use masa harina)
• 1/4 cup white flour AP
• 1/2 cup +4 tbsp hot water

Add 1 cup of blue cornmeal and 1/4 cup of white flour to a large bowl, add 1/2 cup + 4 tbsp of hot water. Mix it up a bit. Let it sit for about 30 minutes at least. Keep your tortilla press/maker ready. Take a small ball of the dough, press and toast it for about 20-30 secs. Remove and its ready to eat. Well at least this is how it SHOULD have worked. But since I used Blue cornmeal instead of blue corn masa harina, the dough was not forming into a nice lump and I added the white flour to get more gluten to form the dough. Even then the tortilla making was quite difficult. Some even ripped apart, like the one in the picture. Note for next time --- use MASA HARINA. Cornmeal is not a good substitute.

Mango and Avocado Salsa Cruda

• 1 very ripe mango
• 1 ripe avocado
• Handful of pepitas
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Cilantro 2 tbsps

Dice the mango and avocado. Add the lemon juice immediately. Add cilantro. Add pepitas. Let it marinate in the fridge till serving. All this depends on the ripeness and the juiciness of the mango. If it isn't as sweet as you'd like it to be, add sugar, if its too sour, add less lemon. You get the picture :)

Watermelon Margaritas

• Watermelon puree - 3 full cups or 5 cups cubed watermelon pieces
• Cabo Wabo Tequila - 1/2 cup 
• Grand Marnier - 2 tbsp
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Salt rimmed glasses - 4 

Blend the watermelon cubes and create a smooth thick puree/juice to the consistency you like. Add the good stuff and freeze for about 2 hours. Keep margarita glasses in the fridge. Pour and drink whenever you feel like it :)

 Assembling the Enchiladas

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Take tortillas, add yam filling, roll it up. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.
3. Add Enchilada sauce
4. Add about 1/2 cup of cheese on top of the entire row of tortillas.If you'd like more cheese feel free. I just dislike too much cheese. In fact the yam filling was so delicious and smooth. Personally the next time I might just skip the cheese altogether.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or till cheese is bubbling.
6. Serve with the mango avocado salsa cruda and the margaritas.

Enjoy ....

Khandvi

Khandvi is probably a lesser known albeit a VERY delicious Gujarati food. Normally eaten as a snack, it makes for an excellent appetizer. Eaten both warm and at room temperature, it is a great dish to make ahead before serving a big party.
Khandvi is rolled up cooked batter, served with tempered mustard and sesame seeds. These seeds add a needed crunch and texture in contrast to the soft and velvety texture of the rolls. The batter is made up of gram flour otherwise known as besan along with beaten sour curds. Unlike most Indian dishes, you will notice that there aren't many ingredients or a very long spice list. That's the beauty of this dish; simple ingredients and very good results :)
The dish has a reputation of being difficult to make. The biggest hurdle, is making it quickly so that no lumps form in the batter. Keep all ingredients and utensils ready to allow for quick transfer.

Equipment/Utensils required

• 1 Mixing bowl and 1 spatula
• 1 Large non-stick pan or wok
• 1 Silicone spatula
• 1 Silpat or a non-stick cookie sheet (Silpat preferable)
• 1 Pastry wheel or a pizza cutter
• 1 Small non-stick pan

Ingredients for Green chilli paste

• 5-6 Green Chillies
• 2" Ginger piece
• Salt

Ingredients for Khandvi base

• 1 cup Bengal Gram Flour aka besan
• 1 cup  thick yogurt (if the yogurt you have isn't sour enough, add 1/2 tsp of lemon juice)
• 1 cup water
• All of the Green chillie past
• Aesofoetida a pinch
• Turmeric 1/8 tsp
• Salt 1/2 tsp (to taste)

Ingredients for Tempering

• 2 tsps mustard seeds
• 11/2 tsp sesame seeds
• 5-7 curry leaves
• 4-5 dried red chillies
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions for Green chillie paste

One way to make this is by using a a mortar and pestle to grind these together. The salt will act as a grinding agent and also steeps into the green chillies over time. Leave the paste to marinate in its own juices for a minimum of 2 hours and maximum overnight. I love this method as the textures and taste of the paste is very different from the other method. This results in a more rustic, explosive taste in your mouth. One word of caution, you would be chomping on some pieces of whole chillie. If you can't handle that, use the other method.

Another way to make this is by obliterating the ingredients in a food processor. Leave the paste to marinate in its own juices for a minimum of 2 hours and maximum overnight If you would like a smooth paste or would like to serve a very large crowd then use this method. The chances of a non-spice eater is higher in a crowd and this would be a better way to serve, than have small pieces of whole green chillies versus the other method.


Directions for making the Khandvi rolls

• Make a dry mix of the gram flour, turmeric. aesofoetida and salt. After it blends well, add the yogurt, green chilli paste and water. Blend it well making sure there are no lumps.
• Heat a non-stick pan on low heat. Add the batter slowly with a silicone spatula, stirring immediately and constantly for about 8 to 10 minutes. Make sure there are no lumps. This is very important.
• The next part is a bit tricky. Be swift :) Transfer the batter on a Silpat. Try to spread it as evenly and thinly as possible. Be quick! The batter cools off and will refuse to spread if done slowly. The amount of batter should be enough to cover an entire regular silpat. 
• Use a pastry wheel with ribbon edges to cut off five inches of the cooled khandvi. Roll them up like swiss rolls, as thick as you'd like. 
• Lay each roll on a platter.   

 Directions for Tempering

• Heat a small non-stick pan on high. Add the oil and let it warm up. Add the rest of the ingredients. Let the mustard crackle. Do not over heat, or the sesame seeds will burn and turn black. The whole process should not be more than a minute.
• Take off the heat, spoon and pour on top of all the rolls. 
• Serve the Khandvi immediately or at room temperature.

Health Notes --- This is not a dish for people suffering from IBS. The gram flour is notorious for causing stomach aches, if not cooked completely. If you have a sensitive stomach, I'd suggest opting for another dish altogether. The dominant taste profile of this dish is from the gram flour, which has a nutty unique flavor. 

Weight loss 2nd Goal accomplished!

YEP! I have accomplished my second goal. I have now lost a total of 40 pounds!   I am currently at 200 pounds  and boy does it feel good. I never thought I'd be back at this weight. This feels AWESOME!

Now I still have 20 more pounds to go and I spoke with my doctor regarding this. According to her, after losing 16% of your original body weight, the weight loss gets much more difficult. So.... this means I have a tough 20 pounds to lose. That's okay though. Losing weight the slow and healthy way, is already a test of will power and focus. So I'm guessing I'm just have to increase my energy levels so that I can exercise more, and exercise more to increase my energy :)) See the loop?

My new weight loss goal = to be 180 pounds i.e. to lose 20 pounds in about 6 months. I am going to accomplish this by continuing my previous health and lifestyle changes. The new things I am going to incorporate are
1) Walking and swimming more often for knee friendly cardio
2) Doing more Wii Boxing. Another cardio activity but I can do this at home, without special equipment AND I can do it according to my body strength.
3) Increase fruits and nuts for increased protein and fiber.
4) This summer I am going to try at least one new outdoor activity.

Besides these, my current method of eating anything I feel like but in moderation, works well.